Microsoft: Difference between revisions
NotARobot06 (talk | contribs) finally move the mess that the consumer impact summary was into the main body... now main body is a little messy but it's mostly stuff that needs expanding upon. fixed up some citations |
NotARobot06 (talk | contribs) m →See Also: remove reference to microsoft's anticompetitive practices page as it just redirects to this page, remove products and services as there is nothing under that heading |
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In the case ''United States v.'' Microsoft Corp'''''.''','' 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000),<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/87/30/2307082/ "United States v. Microsoft Corp., 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000)"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> Microsoft's conduct taken as a whole was described as a "deliberate assault upon entrepreneurial efforts that, could well have enabled the introduction of competition into the market for [[Intel]]-compatible PC operating systems". Further, "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions trammeled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers." | In the case ''United States v.'' Microsoft Corp'''''.''','' 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000),<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/87/30/2307082/ "United States v. Microsoft Corp., 87 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000)"] - law.justia.com - accessed 2025-01-29</ref> Microsoft's conduct taken as a whole was described as a "deliberate assault upon entrepreneurial efforts that, could well have enabled the introduction of competition into the market for [[Intel]]-compatible PC operating systems". Further, "Microsoft's anti-competitive actions trammeled the competitive process through which the computer software industry generally stimulates innovation and conduces to the optimum benefit of consumers." | ||
==== Anticompetitive Practices revealed in this Lawsuit ==== | ====Anticompetitive Practices revealed in this Lawsuit==== | ||
*'''Delaying competitors''' | *'''Delaying competitors''' | ||
:Intentionally slowing development of rival products like IBM and Apple through contractual or technical barriers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2002-01-25 |title=Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115104834/https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |archive-date=2017-11-15 |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=justice.gov |publisher=U.S. Department Of Justice}}</ref> | :Intentionally slowing development of rival products like IBM and Apple through contractual or technical barriers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2002-01-25 |title=Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115104834/https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |archive-date=2017-11-15 |access-date=2025-08-23 |website=justice.gov |publisher=U.S. Department Of Justice}}</ref> | ||
* '''Artificial price inflation''' | *'''Artificial price inflation''' | ||
:Overcharging consumers by $20–30 billion for Windows licenses in the 1990s by hiding costs in PC bundles.<ref name=":0" /> | :Overcharging consumers by $20–30 billion for Windows licenses in the 1990s by hiding costs in PC bundles.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
*'''Sabotaging competitors''' | *'''Sabotaging competitors''' | ||
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Facing EU and UK lawsuits, Microsoft settled with some cloud vendors but retained practices criticized as unfair.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Microsoft faces £1 billion lawsuit in UK for allegedly overcharging rival cloud firms’ customers |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/03/microsoft-overcharging-rival-cloud-firms-customers-uk-lawsuit-says.html |url-status=live |website=cnbc.com}}</ref> | Facing EU and UK lawsuits, Microsoft settled with some cloud vendors but retained practices criticized as unfair.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Microsoft faces £1 billion lawsuit in UK for allegedly overcharging rival cloud firms’ customers |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/03/microsoft-overcharging-rival-cloud-firms-customers-uk-lawsuit-says.html |url-status=live |website=cnbc.com}}</ref> | ||
=== Antitrust investigation by U.S. === | ===Antitrust investigation by U.S.=== | ||
Making it costly or technically difficult for customers to migrate data from Azure to other platforms.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Godoy |first=Jody |date=November 28, 2024 |title=Microsoft faces wide-ranging US antitrust probe |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-faces-wide-ranging-us-antitrust-probe-2024-11-27/ |website=reuters.com}}</ref> | Making it costly or technically difficult for customers to migrate data from Azure to other platforms.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Godoy |first=Jody |date=November 28, 2024 |title=Microsoft faces wide-ranging US antitrust probe |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-faces-wide-ranging-us-antitrust-probe-2024-11-27/ |website=reuters.com}}</ref> | ||
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For the first several months of this incident's height of prevalence in 2006, consumers had to pay to get their consoles fixed by Microsoft if the console was outside of its one year warranty. However, by September 2007, they chose to extend the warranty to three years from the date of original purchase, and refunded anyone who had previously paid to get this issue fixed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Peter |date=2007 |title=Open Letter from Peter Moore |url=http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023004948/http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |archive-date=23 Oct 2007 |access-date=4 Jun 2025 |website=Xbox}}</ref> Judging from current and former employees' comments in the ''Xbox'' documentary, ''Power On: The Story of Xbox'', Microsoft seemed to have primarily done this to rescue the ''Xbox'' brand.<ref name=":2" /> Nonetheless, this was still beneficial to consumers who had made an investment in and enjoyed games from Microsoft's console. | For the first several months of this incident's height of prevalence in 2006, consumers had to pay to get their consoles fixed by Microsoft if the console was outside of its one year warranty. However, by September 2007, they chose to extend the warranty to three years from the date of original purchase, and refunded anyone who had previously paid to get this issue fixed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Peter |date=2007 |title=Open Letter from Peter Moore |url=http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023004948/http://xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm |archive-date=23 Oct 2007 |access-date=4 Jun 2025 |website=Xbox}}</ref> Judging from current and former employees' comments in the ''Xbox'' documentary, ''Power On: The Story of Xbox'', Microsoft seemed to have primarily done this to rescue the ''Xbox'' brand.<ref name=":2" /> Nonetheless, this was still beneficial to consumers who had made an investment in and enjoyed games from Microsoft's console. | ||
=== Xbox === | ===Xbox=== | ||
*'''Forced online activation''' | *'''Forced online activation''' | ||
:Requiring internet connectivity to set up Xbox consoles or install physical game discs, even for single-player modes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2021 |title=DRM or Die. How Anti-Consumer Practices Became the New Norm and the Consumers Are to Blame |url=https://cgicoffee.com/blog/2021/04/drm-or-die-anti-consumer-practices |website=}}</ref> | :Requiring internet connectivity to set up Xbox consoles or install physical game discs, even for single-player modes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2021 |title=DRM or Die. How Anti-Consumer Practices Became the New Norm and the Consumers Are to Blame |url=https://cgicoffee.com/blog/2021/04/drm-or-die-anti-consumer-practices |website=}}</ref> | ||
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Given the scale of Windows and Office deployments, the cumulative energy consumed by collecting, transmitting, storing and processing this data across the globe is also an environmental concern. | Given the scale of Windows and Office deployments, the cumulative energy consumed by collecting, transmitting, storing and processing this data across the globe is also an environmental concern. | ||
=== '''Collaboration with surveillance''' === | ==='''Collaboration with surveillance'''=== | ||
Working with the NSA and FBI to bypass encryption (PRISM program) and access user data (Skype, Outlook).<ref name=":1" /> | Working with the NSA and FBI to bypass encryption (PRISM program) and access user data (Skype, Outlook).<ref name=":1" /> | ||
=== '''Recurring billing traps''' === | ==='''Recurring billing traps'''=== | ||
Defaulting users into subscription auto-renewals while making cancellation processes opaque.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-18 |title=Why is MS Software So Predatory? |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3869973/why-is-ms-software-so-predatory?forum=windows-all&referrer=answers |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=learn.microsoft.com}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=better source than just support forum}} | Defaulting users into subscription auto-renewals while making cancellation processes opaque.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-18 |title=Why is MS Software So Predatory? |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3869973/why-is-ms-software-so-predatory?forum=windows-all&referrer=answers |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=learn.microsoft.com}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=better source than just support forum}} | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
[[Microsoft Office 365]], an article on Microsoft's Office 365 subscription service which includes how to avoid the $30 price increase at the start. | [[Microsoft Office 365]], an article on Microsoft's Office 365 subscription service which includes how to avoid the $30 price increase at the start. | ||